Bike paths and lanes are integral parts of the bicycle transportation network,
and these reports are provided to encourage their use by bicyclists who
might otherwise not venture out in the snow, and to encourage their proper
maintenance (which includes snow plowing) by the responsible agencies
given in bold type below. If they are not plowed while the snow
is still soft, paths with significant foot traffic become unskiable
within a day, and remain a mess for everyone until the ice melts.

It started snowing Saturday afteroon, just as I started home from the
Egleston Winter Market, built through the afternoon and into the evening,
then tapered off after midnight. Although it started out around freezing,
the temperature dropped, and the snow was lighter than the last storm.
But temperatures never got warm enough to melt that snow, so any bike path
or lane which wasn't well-plowed became worse. I live in bike lane country,
so most of my weekend reports concern those. A lesson learned from all of
the snowfall this month is that stand-alone bike lanes are definitely not
4-season facilities the way that well-maintained bike paths and bike lanes
with marked buffer zones are.

Arnold Arboretum1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic
with no intersectionsBoston Parks and Harvard University

Not checked yet, but probably icy because they don't salt.

Blackwell FootpathA half-mile gravel path connecting the Forest Hills MBTA station and the
South St. Arboretum entranceBoston Parks and Harvard University

I didn't check it, but it is certainly not plowed and icy

Roslindale Bike LanesTwo miles of bike lanes on both sides of Washington St. from Forest Hills
to Roslindale Square and to West Roxbury on Belgrade Ave. and buffered and
wide bike lanes along American Legion HighwayBoston Public Works Department

After all of the snow, the lanes are pretty much blocked where they are
next to parked cars. Otherwise, they are usually clear. The buffered
bike lanes on the American Legion Highway are about half clear, but the
buffers mean there is plenty of space for biking out of the travel lane

Arborway "Bike Lanes"1 mile of wide paved shoulder which is unmarked but usually clear of
parked cars during rush hourDepartment of Conservation and Recreation,

Not checked.

Morton St. Buffered Bike LanesCemetery Rd. to Harvard St.MassDOT

Not checked yet, but they were plowed about the same as the American Legion
buffered lanes after the last storm.

Franklin Park RoadsMuch of the park loop road is closed to motorized traffic
and there are bike lanes on the main road.Boston Parks and Public Works Departments

Not checked yet.

Centre/South Bike LanesA mile of bike lanes through the heart of Jamaica Plain from Jackson
Square and the Southwest Corridor to Forest HillsBoston Public Works Department

Very negative reports about ice abound. The DCR has denied that they
m aintain this path for bicycling in the winter, but it has become a major
commuting corridor to rival the also DCR-unmaintained Charles River Bike Paths.
Political action is needed, like the State House hearing which was held
in 2005 and failed to lead to any action. I missed that because an accident
on the way there (apparent rear-ending in the Harvard underpass, which I was
using because the Charles River path wasn't plowed) sent me unconscious to
the ER.

South Bay Harbor TrailBike/Ped path from the Federal Court House up Fort Point Channel
to the Southwest CorridorCity of Boston

These paths aren't plowed because they get relatively little transportation
use and because they are used by cross-country skiers like me. There
are marked narrow bike lanes on Enneking Parkway through the
reservation which are probably clear.

Former Metropolitan State Hospital
Belmont, Walthampaved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation

Not checked yet.

Assabet River Rail Trail
Hudson and Marlborough, so far
Town of Hudson, City of Marlborough
(so far)

Not checked, but probably not plowed.

Northampton BikewayEast-west across the City of NorthamptonCity of Northampton

Craig Della Penna, who lives next to the path, has reported that
it is the intention of the DPW to make it passable ASAP after a storm.
If the storm is significant, then they plow it repeatedly --sometimes
10-12 times during the course of the storm to ensure its usability.

Norwottuck Rail TrailNorthampton to AmherstDepartment of Conservation and Recreation